It is generally desirable for pants or shorts to lie flat and neatly in the fly area Some fasteners and closure systems are more effective than others in accomplishing a flat, neat look when closing garment flies.
Garment flies are often held closed by a zipper, buttons, or hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro.RTM.. The hook and loop fastener or zipper usually extends the full length of the fly. This construction provides secure closure of the fly for activities such as walking, running, or even swimming; however, such a closure creates other problems. For example, both hook and loop fasteners and zippers require attachment to the fly by way of a seam. This extra seam adds to the bulk of the garment and may cause the fly to bulge. The extra bulk in the fly of the garment tends to look thick and unsightly, lessening the garment's aesthetic appeal.
Zippers and hook and loop fasteners each have a fairly stiff base strip. When the hook and loop fasteners are used in a garment fly, the corners of this strip may tend to extend beyond the area of fly closure and poke at the wearer. Also, over time, these corners may bunch up, thereby causing unsightly bulging.
The closure operation of hook and loop fasteners creates additional problems. For instance, a garment having a fly closure made of hook and loop fasteners will likely be combined with other garments in laundry loads. If the hook and loop fastener has not been completely and fully closed before being thrown in the laundry, it will have a tendency to snag other garments. Such snagging may ruin the other garments.
Similar problems may arise in the use of zippers. For example, as the zipper is being drawn up for closure, it can snag or pinch the wearer's underclothing, thereby causing damage. Also, the added bulk of the zipper itself and the stitching to hold it in place increase bulging in the fly area.
A number of other types of fasteners may be used to close garment flies. These may include buttons, snaps, clips, or lace ties that extend the entire length of the fly. Buttons, snaps, and clips, however, have a tendency to create bulges or tugs that may be unsightly, especially because they extend the entire length of the fly. A similar aesthetic problem arises when lace ties extend the entire length of the fly.
The fly may be closed by locating buttons, snaps, clips, or ties only in the upper waistband of the fly. However, such a method of closure does not seal the middle section of the fly. This presents a pivacy problem, as the fly will tend to open with motion of the wearer.
A more particular set of problems is found in the area of garment flies used in swimsuits and board shorts. It is common for men and women to wear board shorts when engaging in surfing, swimming, or similar activities. Women tend to prefer to wear such board shorts pulled over a more conventional women's swimsuit when engaging in such activities. Wearing the more durable board short gives the wearer a more secure feeling as well as a preferred aesthetic look for the activity.
The fly of such board shorts is usually closed along its full length by strips of hook and loop fasteners or a zipper. This construction provides a secure closure of the fly for activities such as surfing and swing. However, such a closure creates the snagging problems discussed above. For example, to pull the shorts on, the hook and loop fastener strips must first be disconnected from each other in an "open" fashion. When the board shorts are pulled over a woman's swimsuit, the open hook and loop fastener strips have a tendency to catch and stick to the swimsuit material. This snagging of the woman's swimsuit can create runs in the swimsuit or break the stitching, thus ruining the swimsuit and causing the owner/wearer considerable expense. Similar problems may arise with the use of zippers because of their pinching tendency. Also, the tendency of hook and loop fasteners or zippers to make the fly look thick and unsightly is especially undesirable in swimwear.
Other types of fasteners, such as buttons, snaps, clips, or lace ties, may be used to close the fly of such a swimming short. The problem with these methods are that the buttons, snaps, and clips have a tendency to be uncomfortable for a person laying on a hard surfboard because of the hard bulges that they cause. This drawback is exacerbated when such fasteners extend the entire length of the fly. Also, the unsightly effect of these bulges is considerable. As already discussed, an aesthetic problem arises when ties extend the entire length of the fly.